Computer networking systems such as the Internet are exploding in popularity all over the world. The Internet is a publicly available network of computer networks that spans, not only the United States, but many parts of the world as well. FIG. 1 is an illustration of a typical Internet environment. This environment includes a network 10, such as the Internet, that is connected to a plurality of client computer systems 12, each of the plurality of client computer systems including a display device for displaying information. Also connected to the network 10 is a plurality of server systems 14 that provide information to the network 10.
Traditional Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS) maintain metadata about objects such as tables, users, triggers, indexes, etc., in order to effectively store and access data that is maintained by a server database. By managing these objects locally at the server database, additional complexity is added when accessed by a client machine. In addition, application developers must typically purchase a database to test and develop their database applications. This requires the developer to install and maintain the code that is desired. Furthermore, oftentimes in a network, the client machine is more reliable than the server database but since data and metadata reside on the server database, the access to and reliability of the data is lower.
Accordingly, what is needed is a system and method that overcomes the above-mentioned problems. The method and system should be simple, cost effective and capable of being easily adapted to current technology. The present invention addresses such a need.